All Mixed Up
by yellowstar
Summary: Welcome to Drover's Run where relationships are all mixed up. Will true love and true feelings finally be revealed?
1. Default Chapter

All mixed up

If Claire was quiet the entire ride home from Gungellan no one noticed as Tess was only too eager to share the details of her night with Alex with the other girls in the truck. As Tess recounted the kiss and some of what happened next, Claire counted the yellow dashes on the road to pass the time and to keep her mind occupied.

'I can't believe I didn't know they were into each other.' Claire scolded herself in disbelief. When Tess and Alex appeared last night at the bar, both her and Nick had been shocked when they left to spend the night together.

Jodi was skeptical too of Alex and Tess's newfound relationship. "I didn't know you liked Alex, Tess." She commented curiously. They seemed an unlikely match. Everyone knew that Claire and Nick were supposed to marry, but those close to the McLeod's and Ryan's knew how close Alex and Claire were. Jodi couldn't imagine them being with anyone else, though they were both too stubborn to admit it, she thought. Besides she could have sworn Nick had a thing for Tess.

"What's not to like?" Tess answered with a giggle, interrupting Jodi's thoughts. Tess sighed as she thought of the tall, dark and very muscular man.

Claire was more than relieved when they pulled into the driveway of Drover's Run. The others mistook her eagerness to get out of the truth to missing the farm, when actually she desperately needed some time to herself. Saddling up her favorite horse, she galloped away before Tess could tell her Alex and Nick were coming for dinner.

Claire and Blaze meandered throughout Drover's Run and ended up at her father's grave, where she always went to get her thoughts together. "I can't compete with Tess." Claire said with a sigh. " I don't want to compete with Tess." She admitted slowly. "They're just so different." She said aloud as she thought about Tess and Alex. It was rare moments like these that Claire wished she had had a mother or at least a woman's influence in her life. She felt uncomfortable sharing any of her feelings with Meg; she didn't want to rock the boat. If Alex and Tess were happy, who was she or Nick to stop them? And who was to say that Alex was the absolute one and only for her? She remembered why she didn't bother thinking about boys too much; it took more effort than she wanted to give.

Alex kept up a steady stream of conversation on the way home with Nick. He rambled on and on about Tess, not noticing that Nick was not paying any attention. "Tess invited us for dinner." Alex's statement snapped Nick out of his thoughts. 'Great.' He muttered to himself. Just what he wanted to do, watch Alex and Tess all throughout dinner. He was tempted to feign some sort of illness or pretend to be tired but he felt bad leaving Claire to deal with the new couple herself so he resolved to go and keep her company. The two-hour drive seemed an eternity to the younger Ryan who was not at all looking forward to dinner.

All eyes were on the couple as the group sat down to dinner. "Looks great Meg." Nick said kindly.

"You look great too." Alex murmured in Tess's ear, loud enough for Nick and Claire, who were sitting across from them, to hear.

'How am I supposed to eat with all the PDA (public displays of affection) going on at the table?' Claire fumed as she pushed her meal around her plate. When Alex started feeding Tess, that was the last straw as she pushed away from the table and excused herself.

"Claire?" Meg called out in concern as the brunette made her way to the door. "I don't feel well, I need some air." She explained quickly and made her escape. Nick jumped up to follow after her. "I'll go." He said as he left to see if she was okay.

Claire had gone quite a ways so he hurried to catch up with her. "Wait up!" He shouted to get her attention. She turned to look and waited for him. "What are you doing out here?" She questioned as the two continued walking.

"What, did you think I wanted to be in there any more than you did?" He asked with a laugh, trying to make her smile.

As she looked at him, she recognized her own pain mirrored in his eyes and took the branch of friendship he was offering. Though they had grown up together they had never been close. It had always been Alex and Claire. Nick hadn't wanted to be a tag along so he made his own friends. He thought it would be Alex and Claire for always. Now it didn't seem so certain.

"It was quite disgusting." She commented wryly breaking the ice and Nick laughed. As they chatted the two realized how much they didn't really know each other. But they had one thing in common: they were in love with people who weren't in love with them.

The next few days were a blur as Claire worked from before sunrise to after sunset, barely stopping to eat, even going without food some days. Tess was hardly around as she rolled in early in the morning. She managed to keep with her chores but was never around when Claire needed extra help, which is why Claire was still out shoveling hay at 6 o'clock in the evening. Granted it wasn't urgent, but she didn't have any desire to subject herself to dinner with Alex and Tess either, as he hadn't been able to tear himself away from her side for very long.

As the sun finally set and the sky turned dark did Claire go home. "I left some dinner for you Claire." Meg offered her, but she turned it down.

"No thanks Meg. I'm going to shower and bed." She replied with a tired smile. Meg watched as she went upstairs, trying to figure out what was troubling that girl.

"Hi Meg. Is Claire about?" Nick asked as he found his way into the kitchen. Claire heard his voice and reluctantly came to see what he wanted. "What is it Nick? I want to go to bed." Claire asked as she came down the stairs, and Meg slipped away unnoticed.

"I want to talk." He answered. Claire rolled her eyes as she turned to go to bed. She didn't have the energy or the desire to talk.

"I've got beer." He offered and she agreed to sit with him on the porch. "How are you?" he asked gently. "I'm fine." She insisted, not wanting to be forced into sharing her thoughts.

"You look like you've been working hard." He said taking in her worn appearance. He had noticed that she had worked late the last three nights and missing dinner. "So?" She answered defensively. Obviously she wasn't going to talk about it. He wished he had Alex's ability to get through to this stubborn woman.

"If we're going to talk about me, I'm going to bed." Claire informed him steadfastly. "Fine." He gave in to her stubbornness. They sat in pensive silence as they drank their beers. He decided if she wasn't going to talk, then she could listen. He needed to find some answers to the confusion and pain in his own heart. She was the only one who would understand.

"When did things become so complicated?" Nick surmised thoughtfully. "I mean one day I swore Tess and I had a connection and the next she's dating my brother." He confided to Claire.

Their conversation drifted through the open window to where Jodi sat studying. She couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and was very surprised at what they were saying.

"I know Nick. Why couldn't we just fall in love and get married like we're supposed to? It would be so much easier." Claire admitted.

"And be like my parents? No thank you." Nick declared in disgust. "It might be easier, but it wouldn't make us happier." He cautioned wisely. "No one can tell you who to fall in love with."

He continued. "I always thought you and Alex would get together." He admitted, hoping she wouldn't slug him for saying that.

Claire decided to indulge him. If he could tell her his secrets, she could share hers with him as well. Over the last few days she had gotten to know Nick Ryan a lot better and was glad he was around. "I did too." She revealed surprisingly. "I guess I took our friendship for granted, thought it would always be the two of us. I never suspected he had a thing for Tess." She gave him a sad smile.

"Nor did I. And he's my brother." Nick chided himself for not seeing it more clearly. "Well what do we do now?" He asked her, completely baffled at the course of action they should take.

"What can we do?" she protested. "It's not up to us. Obviously they don't feel the same way about us as we do them."

"This sucks." Nick muttered sadly. "True." Claire agreed and raised her bottle to his as they spent the rest of the night talking and drinking.

"Take care of yourself Claire." Nick rebuked her gently. "I'll be gone for a few weeks on business."

"Have a good trip Nick." She said sincerely as she watched him leave. What was she going to do without him for the next few weeks? 'Hopefully not go insane.' She thought sarcastically as she finally made her way to bed.


	2. True feelings

Chapter 2: True Feelings

If Claire and Nick were ready to give up, Jodi wasn't. 'There must be some way to get Alex and Tess's attention.' She thought as her mind raced with mischievous ways to get the right couples together. She hurried to Becky's room to find an accomplice.

"Becky!" Jodi hollered as she entered her room. "What is it Jodi?" Becky asked irritated at being interrupted during studying.

"We've got to break up Alex and Tess." Jodi declared excitedly.

"We've got to what?" Becky shouted in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?" She asked, staring at Jodi as if she had three heads.

"Listen." Jodi pleaded with Becky. Becky decided it was easier to listen than argue and waited for Jodi to continue. "I know that Claire loves Alex, and Nick loves Tess."

"How do you know that? They've never said anything." Becky argued.

"They never said anything to us, but I overheard them on the porch talking…" Jodi explained patiently. "So we need to get Alex to see that he really loves Claire, because he does. And get Tess to realize that she really loves Nick."

"Jodi- it's not our place to do anything. They're grownups, they can figure this out for themselves." Becky reminded her. "They don't need us match making."

"Are you sure?" Jodi pleaded with her friend. "Yeah, I'm sure." Becky informed her. "But that doesn't mean I don't agree with you."

"I thought relationships were supposed to get easier as you get older." Jodi moaned as she flopped on Becky's bed.

"Right. Why don't you ask your mum and Terry about that?" Becky reminded her with a laugh. "Besides, if it's meant to be it will be. Who's to say who's right for who?" Her question left Jodi with a lot more questions than answers.

The next two weeks kept Nick busy traveling. He cut his trip short because of his increasing worry for Claire. He wasn't convinced she was okay, and he needed the reassurance that she was taking care of herself.

It had been an unusually hot and humid week at Drover's Run; yet Claire didn't slow down. She was beginning to regret it as the sweat poured down her face, her last bottle of water gone hours ago. Stubbornly she persisted in attempting to fix the fence. Usually Alex would do it for her, but her injured pride refused to ask for his help, and it couldn't wait for Nick to come back, though she knew he would be furious with her if he found out.

As Nick got out of his car, he prayed that she was sitting with the others when he walked into the house. A quick glance confirmed his suspicions. "Where's Claire?" He demanded, startling them with his sudden appearance.

"Hey Nick." Tess greeted cheerfully. "Claire's still working I guess." She answered nonchalantly and unworried.

His worry quickly turned to anger. "You guess? Have you noticed she's been working too hard?" He spat out incredulously, he couldn't believe they were so unaware of Claire's well being and her whereabouts.

"Chill Nick. Claire can take care of herself." Alex casually reminded his brother, not understanding what the big deal was. It was Claire, you never had to worry about her.

"Really?" Nick questioned in disbelief. "Has she eaten dinner all week?" He challenged the group. "Do you know how hot it is out there? Of course you don't, you're too busy to notice." He reprimanded them sharply.

"Damn it." He swore to himself. "I should've known this would happen." Guilt over leaving his friend tore at him as he went out to look for her. "I'm going to find her." He announced and left as quickly as he came.

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Tess asked worriedly to the now somber group gathered for supper.

"I hope not." Meg declared sadly. They were all caught up in their own thoughts about how they could have missed all the warning signs about Claire's behavior.

It was easy for Claire to slip under the radar. She was the one they all counted on to get them through. Meg felt a tremendous amount of guilt for not being there for Claire. She should have known something was wrong. For as independent and stubborn as Claire could be, her behavior of the past few weeks had been downright strange. Meg prayed for Nick to find her quickly and in good health.

'How selfish can I be?' Tess wondered in frustration as she paced the front porch waiting for Nick to return. 'I got all caught up in Alex that I forgot about Claire. Claire's more important to me than Alex.' Tess realized somberly. She finally tired of walking and sat down with her head in her hands. "Besides I don't know if Alex is the right one for me anyway." She finally admitted out loud what her heart had been trying to tell her for days but she didn't want to hear it.

'Could time move any slower?' Alex Ryan complained, as the minutes seemed like hours. He had never considered that Claire would get into something she couldn't handle. 'How could I have thrown away our friendship for a fling with her sister?' He berated himself for his moronic behavior. He hoped it wasn't too late to make amends.

Claire swore as she hit her thumb with the hammer for the hundredth time that afternoon. "God, I can't remember it being this hot before." She mumbled as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She had taken off her long sleeve shirt, and was now working only in a tank top, but she still felt like she was on fire. 'Maybe I should've stopped a while ago.' She thought briefly about turning in for the night. "I'm almost done." She convinced herself to keep going, desperate to finish the fence.

As she reached the next peg on the fence, a wave of dizziness hit her as she clung to the broken fence for stability. She closed her eyes to block out the pain as her body collapsed tiredly onto the wire of the fence.

"Claire!" Nick shouted urgently as he sped through Drover's Run on Gypsy looking for her. He had searched almost the whole property when he saw a broken fence on the northwest border that got his attention. As he got closer his heart froze as he saw her lying on the fence motionless.

Jumping off the horse he was at her side in an instant. "Claire." He whispered, shocked at her appearance. HE gingerly pulled her off the wire; glad to see she was all right save for a few scrapes and cuts. He did notice however that her body was burning up to the touch. Without a second thought, he carefully picked her up in his arms, noticing how much lighter she seemed. He threw her on the horse and got on holding her to his chest as he hurried back to his car.

Tess and Alex were sitting silently on the porch when the sound of a horse approaching alerted them. Tess jumped to her feet and hurried to meet Nick when she saw the sight of her sister leaning against Nick's chest.

"Claire!" She shouted horrified. Alex was a step behind her in case she needed his support. Or in case he needed her support.

He couldn't believe that was Claire sitting there in Nick's arms. That sight was odd enough, but her looking so weak and ill was disturbing to Alex. He thought she could do anything, and to see her like that reminded him that she was still human after all. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about the part he played in how this whole drama was playing out.

Nick eased Claire down off the horse and into his car. "I'm taking her to the hospital, meet us there." HE commanded the two as he backed his car out of the driveway and sped down the road.

"Meg! Jodi! Becky!" Tess hollered as she ran into the house. "Nick's taking Claire to the hospital." She choked out with a sob.

"What's wrong?" Meg wondered in shock. "I don't know." Tess replied. Meg got Terry and the two girls into the truck, while Alex and Tess followed close behind in his Ute.

The couple was silent for the first few minutes of the drive, both caught up in their own thoughts. "What are we doing Alex?" Tess wondered aloud. He wasn't sure what she meant so he let her continue. "The person we both care about most of all is in some sort of pain and we caused it." She whispered softly, upset at herself for finally realizing the truth. They were both in love with other people.

"We're so foolish." Alex agreed, in a rare subdued mood. "It's not that I don't like you Tess…" He tried to explain without hurting her feelings. "It's just that…" he trailed off not sure how to finish.

"I'm not Claire." Tess chimed in with great insight. "And you're not Nick." She added with a small smile.

"What have we done?" Alex cried out in frustration at the predicament they now found themselves in.

How could they explain to Nick and Claire? Would they forgive them their stupidity? Tess didn't blame them if they didn't. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it sooner. Maybe this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

"Don't blame yourself Tess." Alex encouraged her knowing what she was thinking.

"Why not?" Tess argued. "Claire wouldn't be in the hospital if I'd been more attentive to her needs and available to help."

"Maybe." Alex conceded, "But maybe we wouldn't have realized where our true feelings lie." He declared hopefully.

"Besides, we all should have been more attentive to her. She's just so used to not having people around to care for her, that we kind of take her for granted." He commented astutely.

"Please be alright Claire." Tess prayed as Alex sped along behind Terry's truck. The short trip seemed much longer than the one to Gungellan.

Claire was already in the emergency room when they arrived, so they were sent to the waiting room where Nick was pacing the room impatiently.

"Do you know what she was doing?" Nick accused Alex as soon as he walked into the room. Alex had never seen his brother so mad; he didn't make any sarcastic remarks.

"She was fixing a broken fence on the northeast border." He declared angrily. "That's your job Alex! If you had talked to her for five minutes in the last few weeks you would've known that."

The nurse interrupted before Nick fully exploded. "Nick Ryan?" She called gently for the young man to follow her down the hallway to get the report on Claire from the doctor.

A/N: This is my first McLeod's Daughter fanfic, so please be kind and constructive. I've only watched a few episodes but I fell in love with it and had to start writing! Please review.


	3. Confessions

All mixed up

Chapter 3: confessions

The sound of his own footsteps echoed through the sterile, empty hallway. He could feel his heart racing anxiously as he went to see Claire. He was genuinely worried, and horribly concerned about her well-being.

"Nick?" The doctor surmised as the young man arrived outside of Claire's door. Though the door was shut, the curtains in the window were not, allowing Nick a chance to observe her. Tubes and wires ran from different places in her body, monitors keeping track of vital signs he had probably never heard of.

"How is she?" Nick questioned as he shook hands with the doctor. Obviously, things were not going as well as he had hoped.

"For starters, she's extremely dehydrated and exhausted. Not to mention a temperature of 103 degrees. We've got her on intravenous fluids to keep her hydrated and cool her down." Dr. Lewis explained patiently.

"Is it serious?" Nick asked quietly as a myriad of emotions washed over him. Anger at his brother and Tess for their inconsideration, worry about Claire and her condition, fear of what would happen to them all if something did happen to the older McLeod.

"Serious enough to keep her in a drug induced coma to give her body time to heal. It's been neglected for a few weeks now." He informed him regrettably. "She's a lucky lady though, she sustained almost no injuries except a few bruises and scrapes from when she fell on the fence." He continued on with his report.

"How long will she be here?" Nick asked as his mind raced as to what would happen after she left the hospital.

"We'll see how she responds in the morning and then we can set a time table for her to go home." Dr. Lewis decided thoughtfully.

He noticed the tense look on Nick's face. "Nick, If you have any concerns please let me know." He said to encourage the young man to open up and confide in him.

One look at her lying there so broken quenched any of his doubts or fears about speaking up. For Claire's sake, Nick did answer the doctor's question. "Well, I know she won't be able to rest at home. She'll be worried about her farm and the work getting done. She hates being dependent on others. Besides, I know that she's been under a lot of stress the last few weeks, and being at home wont' help any." He admitted quietly.

"It looks like she isn't the only one under a lot of stress." Dr. Lewis observed as the two men talked about alternative arrangements. "She's fortunate to have someone like you to look after her."

"Can I see her?" Nick inquired hopefully. The doctor opened the door in reply. Nick forced himself inside the door, hating the painful silence of the room. Nonetheless, he found himself a chair and sat by her side.

All at once, memories of his time spent in the hospital flooded his memory. He had never been the same ever since the accident. Physically, emotionally, nothing. His relationship with Alex had gone from mediocre at best, to strained now. He sighed as he wished he knew how to fix their relationship, but the latest mess between Alex and Tess, he didn't know if it would be able to be salvaged. Nick knew that Tess and Claire's relationship was a lot less tumultuous than the Ryan brothers, but he prayed that this incident wouldn't hinder them in any way. In a rare moment of optimism, Nick actually hoped that this incident would clear all the problems away and let them all focus on the future.

A half hour passed without his knowing it, and nick decided to go share the news with the others and let them have their chance to visit Claire, knowing they wouldn't get a chance for the next two weeks. He'd be damned if they thought they would interrupt her time to recover.

"Nick." Meg called out as soon as he reentered the waiting room. "How is she?" Tess added quietly.

"She's dehydrated and exhausted, not to mention a fever of 103 degrees." Nick remarked somberly, most of his anger dissipating after his visit with Claire. Weariness now replaced the anger.

"Is she awake? Can we see her?" Alex demanded impatiently, wanting, needing to see Claire.

"She's asleep. They put her in a drug induced coma until tomorrow." Replied his brother quietly.

"Is she in pain?" Jodi spoke up worried. "No Jodi, her body is just too tired. Claire needs a break." Nick replied kindly, trying to reassure the young girl.

"When can she come home?" Meg questioned, her mind already working to make preparations for Claire's return.

"When she's completely rested." He replied vaguely, not knowing how to break the news to them that she wasn't coming home right away. As much as he was angry with them for neglecting Claire, he didn't want to hurt them needlessly. Despite all that happened, he knew they cared for her deeply, and how guilty they felt.

"How long will that be?" Alex asked in confusion, as the others waited for Nick's reply.

"At least two weeks." Nick clarified quietly, hoping they would agree to his plan without confrontation. Either way, Claire was going to stay with him, but he hoped it would go smoothly, and that the others would let him have his way.

"Two weeks." Tess repeated in disbelief. The room was quiet as they finally realized how serious Claire's condition was.

"She'll be in the hospital that long?" Becky questioned in shock.

"No, She's coming to stay at Wilgul with me until she's better." He announced in a sure, determined voice that no one could argue with.

"Can we see her?" Tess repeated Alex's question, desperate to see her sister. "Follow me." Dr. Lewis guided her down the hallway.

"Jodi, Becky why don't you come and get some coffee with us." Terry suggested, sensing that the two brothers needed some time alone. Meg was grateful for his presence and for taking control. Usually she was the one in charge, but this was one situation she was not prepared to handle.

"Thanks for taking care of Claire, Nick." Alex said gratefully.

"Someone needs to." Was all his brother said as he continued to pace the hall waiting for Tess to come back. "I know." Alex agreed quickly. The soft sounds of the clock ticking, and the squeaking of nurse's shoes echoed between the two brothers.

The older Ryan was determined to break the silence. "Listen Nick. I didn't know…" He began hesitantly, hoping he could get his brother to listen.

"Didn't know what Alex?" Nick replied harshly, finally turning to face him.

Alex knew he deserved his brother's anger. "I didn't know she was in trouble. I should have, but I didn't. I admit it." He said sadly.

He hesitated before continuing on. "I didn't know you love Tess. Why did you let me go on and on like a fool? I never would have gone there if I knew." Alex protested quietly.

"Really?" Nick said in disbelief. "Nothing's stopped you before." He commented on the frequent loves of Alex Ryan. While his older brother tended to be more reckless with his relationships, choosing quantity over quality, Nick was the opposite. He was more cautious with his heart, and rarely dated. "Besides, it's not my decision. It's not like Tess liked me or anything." Nick admitted softly.

"She loves you!" Alex practically shouted. "I don't know why I didn't see it." He chastised himself. "That's why we broke up. She loves you, and I love Claire." Alex confessed to his brother.

"You broke up?" Nick repeated in shock. He had been resigned to living a life without Tess, and knew how broken Claire was at the thought of losing Alex.

"What am I going to do? I can't live without her." Alex broke down as he fell into a nearby chair, the emotions of the day overwhelming him. Nick had a moment of compassion for his older brother, as the flame of hope started to grow that everything would be okay.

"I'm sorry Claire." She whispered as she stared at her older sister. Immense guilt plagued the younger McLeod. She decided to go with full disclosure regardless of the fact that Claire wasn't awake.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I honestly had no idea that you had feelings for Alex. Why didn't you tell me?" She questioned in confusion, wishing she knew the answer. "Maybe you did try to tell me. I admit I've been a whole lot of selfish lately." Tess added as she thought about her actions the last few days. She hadn't thought anything was wrong with Claire, though she should have known. She had gone days without seeing her. "I should have known." But nothing alarmed her more than the sight of her sister's unconscious body slumped against Nick's as he furiously raced across the property to his Ute and to the hospital.

"I promise I'll be a better sister as soon as you're better. You'll see." Tess swore as the minutes went by and the sounds of the machines keeping her alive haunted her. "I won't cause you any more pain." The last statement broke Tess's spirit, as she started sobbing.

Completely overwhelmed, Tess left her sister's room, wiping the tears out of her eyes. It had scared her to no end to see Claire like that. The Ryan brothers turned when she reentered the waiting room.

"Tess?" Alex called out to the distraught girl. "I need to be alone." She informed them as she walked away.

Nick hated to see Tess so upset, but he could not, would not place her needs or his before Claire's. He was sorry for her, but at that moment he didn't give a damn about Tess or Alex's feelings. Regardless of how it could end, there was still the matter of getting there. There was a lot of pain of his and Claire's part to be sorted through, before they could handle being in a relationship with either Tess or Alex.

"I've known this girl for twenty years. I've never seen her like this before." Meg admitted as she and Terry sat close to Claire's bed.

"She's strong." Terry reminded her gently as he comforted the older woman with his presence and the warmth of his hand in hers. "I know." Meg agreed watching over the woman she had raised since she was a child.

"I wish I had paid more attention." Meg scolded herself. "It's not your fault." Terry begged her to understand.

"Than why is she here? It's not Claire's fault." Meg protested fiercely. "She's been through far more than she deserves. Growing up without a mother, losing her father, running the ranch, finding her sister, Peter, Tess and Alex…" She listed the sadness that Claire had endured over the years.

"It's nobody's fault." Terry declared, forcing Meg to look away from Claire to look at him, pleading with her to believe him. He hated seeing the look of blame he saw in her eyes. "But maybe it will work for good. It made Tess and Alex realize where their true feelings lie."

"Maybe." Meg agreed slowly. The two spent the next few minutes in silence, praying for Claire and the whole situation.

The hospital room got a lot smaller once Alex Ryan stepped into it. His large room blocked much of the doorway as he hesitated to go in.

"I'm no good in crises Claire, you know that." He admitted as he paced the room too disturbed by the sight of her to sit down. IT all seemed too real. She was pale and motionless, looking not like the Claire McLeod he grew up with.

"You've always been the strong one." He paused restless. "For me. For everyone. We could have lost you today. I'm sorry I've been such an idiot." He confessed to her still form.

"You've always teased me about all the women I've dated. Well the truth is I always compared them to you. I never realized until now that what I wanted, needed was you. We've both been too stubborn for our own good, but I'm not about to let you get away again.

"For so long I've been hiding behind this whole macho façade, pretending like nothing could ever hurt me. And today seeing you here, and seeing you being carried away by Nick, crumbled away every last brick of that wall. It was like having a piece of me being ripped away. I've never felt such pain in my whole life." Alex finished his speech as tears fell down his cheeks. He gently kissed her cheek and brushed a strand of brown hair away from her face.

Alex gladly accepted the cup of coffee Becky offered him as he sat back down in the waiting room.

"The doctor said she might leave tomorrow?" Meg inquired of Nick. "They're going to do some tests and see how she responds." Nick replied.

"You'll call me with updates." Alex confirmed with his brother. Nick couldn't deny his request; he had never seen his brother so broken. Nick knew that Alex's feelings for Claire were real, and genuinely hoped it would work out for the two of them.

"You've got to get better Claire. We need you." Becky pleaded with the older woman that she respected so much.

"Yeah. "Jodi agreed with her best friend. "Alex needs you." She stated more specifically. They had passed him in the hallway and she thought he looked more weary and older that she had ever seen him. She knew he was taking Claire's accident badly. She vowed to talk with him later knowing Tess and Nick were in no condition to do so.


End file.
